Fatwa No : 81310

Coitus interruptus

Fatwa Date : Ramadan 8, 1420 / 15-12-1999

Question

What is the rule of coitus interruptus?

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. 'Azl means coitus interruption, i.e. pulling out man's sexual organ to ejaculate out of uterus. Muslim scholars differed on this issue. Some of them prohibited it: They based this view on a Hadith narrated from Juzamah Bint Wahab al-Asadiyah, who said: "They asked Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about coitus interruption. He replied:" That is a kind of hidden burying alive (a new born one)". Some of them permitted it without any restrictions. This is known in Madhab of Shafie. The majority of Muslim scholars permitted it as long as the consent of the wife is gained. This is the most correct opinion since Jabir () said: "We used to practice coitus interruption during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle while the Qur'an was being revealed". [Bukhari & Muslim]. Imam Muslim also narrated: "The Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had known that (i.e.'Azl) but he did not prohibit it". Allah knows best.